Jefferson Park to get new fitness equipment

Following a big push by the Friends of Jefferson Park to revamp one of the city’s most beautiful parks, new equipment will engage local students.

December 18, 2015; 2:32 PM • by Susan Howson

Ah, Jefferson Park! The hilltop park that makes you wonder sometimes why other parks even bother. With its magnificent view of the city, its tendencies to have afternoon sunlight stream through trees in just the right way, and its throwback fitness equipment course from the era of Rocky.

Friends of Jefferson Park have been working steadily to update and improve the park, which sees a steady stream of delighted children and view-appreciating adults in all seasons. Ongoing improvements include community cleanups and tree plantings. And coming in early 2016, a completed fountain with accompanying landscaping, pathways, and seating.

Now, the FOJP have received a couple of good-sized grants from Bon Secours and an anonymous donor (totaling $61,591) to replace Rocky’s Parallel Bars & Friends.

But it’s not just equipment for 21st Century Rockys Who Now Wear Technical Fabric and Not Sweats! It’s for the children!

Nearby Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School has committed to putting the stuff to the test–integrating it into their P.E. classes by bringing kids over to learn how they work. Then, the students will (by order of their teacher) go home and bring their parents and/or grandparents to show THEM how to use the stuff. Healthier communities begin with healthy kids, so that’s good news.

Here’s hoping the new stuff is a lot easier to use, because I never knew what to do with the old equipment anyway. Is that…a balance beam? Next to another balance beam slightly higher up? Who knows! I’m just here for the view!

Not so with the new stuff from Nowell Form Function, which seems pretty easy to figure out, especially if you watch the below video:

Some community donations are still needed in order to make the plan a done deal, so if you’re still looking for a good cause to contribute to for the holidays, think of this as a present for the entire Church Hill community.